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Breast Implant Illness, La Jolla
Breast implant illness (BII) is a term patients use for systemic symptoms they connect to their implants, such as fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, or rashes. It is not a formal medical diagnosis, and research has not established that implants cause these symptoms. The symptoms are real and deserve a careful evaluation. At your La Jolla consultation, Tim Sayed MD reviews your history and implants, discusses other possible causes, and explains what removal can and cannot be expected to do.
The La Jolla consultation office is in University City, at 4510 Executive Drive, Suite 210, San Diego, CA 92121. Consultations and follow-ups take place here. Surgery is performed only in accredited operating rooms separate from both consultation offices, not at the University City office.
Office
For your La Jolla consultation and follow-ups, use the University City office's San Diego postal address.
Confirm your appointment time when scheduling. On Mondays, this office opens at 9:00 AM, half an hour later than Newport Beach. Call the shared practice number, (858) 247-2933.
Choose the office you can return to for follow-ups, not only the one that is convenient for the first visit. Postoperative visits take place at the office where you had your consultation, so settle that choice before you book.
Monday: 9:00 AM–4:30 PM. Tuesday–Friday: 8:30 AM–4:30 PM. Saturday–Sunday: Closed. Hours are Pacific Time.
Tim Sayed MD, La Jolla / University City
Address
4510 Executive Drive, Suite 210, San Diego, CA 92121
Phone
(858) 247-2933
Hours
Mon 9:00 AM–4:30 PM; Tue–Fri 8:30 AM–4:30 PM PT; Sat–Sun closed
Surgery
Accredited operating rooms only, separate from both consultation offices
Consultation details for La Jolla · Compare the Newport Beach consultation office
Practice pricing information for La Jolla patients · Financing information for La Jolla patients
What it is
A set of symptoms, such as fatigue, brain fog, and joint pain, that some women connect to their breast implants. It is not a recognized medical diagnosis.
Common symptoms
Commonly reported symptoms include fatigue, brain fog, joint and muscle pain, rashes or dry skin, hair changes, headaches, poor sleep, and mood changes.
How it is evaluated
Dr. Sayed reviews your history and your implants, examines you, and helps rule out other causes before discussing whether removal is reasonable for you.
Pathology
If you choose removal, the implants and the capsule are sent to pathology afterward, so a pathologist can check for abnormal cells, including BIA-ALCL.
Cost and recovery
Removal typically costs about $9,000 to $14,000 all in, and more with a lift or fat transfer. Most patients return to desk work in about a week.
Your surgeon
Tim Sayed MD, MBA, FACS, double board-certified, seeing BII patients at his University City office near La Jolla and UTC.
Symptoms and risk
Commonly reported symptoms include fatigue, brain fog or memory trouble, joint and muscle pain, rashes or dry skin, hair thinning, headaches, poor sleep, anxiety, low mood, and heart palpitations. Reports involve saline and silicone, smooth and textured, and cosmetic and reconstructive implants. Some people notice symptoms within months; others after many years. Each of these symptoms has other possible causes, including thyroid disease, anemia, autoimmune conditions, sleep disorders, and hormonal changes. Palpitations or chest symptoms should be evaluated by your primary care physician or a cardiologist. An evaluation for BII should run alongside, not replace, care for these conditions.
Bring your implant card or manufacturer information, prior operative reports, any imaging reports, and recent lab work or specialist notes. Write down your symptoms, when each one began, and whether anything makes them better or worse. Questions worth asking: • Could another condition explain these symptoms, and how should it be checked? • If I remove my implants, what might change, and what might not? • Is the capsule removed, and how is en bloc compared with total capsulectomy for my anatomy? • Will any tissue be sent to pathology in my case, and why? • What would removal cost, and what does recovery involve?
If you decide on removal, the team will give you the operating facility's address, arrival time, and discharge instructions. Do not use the University City consultation address as your surgery destination. Arrange an adult to drive you from the operating facility, and plan transportation for return visits to this office. If you will recover away from home, ask how long to stay nearby and when you need to come back; no single length of stay applies to everyone.
Questions worth asking:
- Could another condition explain these symptoms, and how should it be checked?
- If I remove my implants, what might change, and what might not?
- Is the capsule removed, and how is en bloc compared with total capsulectomy for my anatomy?
- Will any tissue be sent to pathology in my case, and why?
- What would removal cost, and what does recovery involve?
Pathology and BIA-ALCL
En bloc removal takes out the implant and capsule together; total capsulectomy removes the full capsule, sometimes in pieces. There is no evidence that the en bloc technique itself improves BII symptoms. The capsule approach depends on your anatomy and what can be done safely, and some capsules are partly attached to the chest wall or ribs.
Pathology and specific BIA-ALCL testing are decided case by case. Ask which tissue would be examined and why. Routine examination of a removed capsule is not the same as the evaluation needed for suspected BIA-ALCL, which may involve sampling of fluid or tissue before surgery and can change the surgical plan.
Evaluation and treatment
1. History. Your symptoms and their timing, implant records, prior operations, and overall health.
2. Other causes. Discussion of conditions that can produce similar symptoms, with testing or referral as appropriate.
3. Implant examination. Examination and imaging review for rupture, capsular contracture, fluid, or a mass, and identification of the implant type when records allow.
4. A clear conversation about removal. What removal may and may not change, the alternatives, and the risks.
5. Surgical plan, if you choose removal. Implant removal with capsule management chosen for your anatomy, with or without a lift or fat grafting.
6. Recovery and follow-up at the same University City office as your consultation.
01
Some patients return to desk work after about a week; others need longer, especially after a lift or fat grafting. If drains are used, ask how long they are likely to stay in. Exercise and lifting require individual clearance. Breast shape continues to change over several months. If you are having implants removed because of symptoms, allow time: any change may take weeks to months, and results vary. Arrange an adult to drive you home from the operating facility and to help during the first days. Do not drive while taking sedating medication or until your surgeon clears you. Report fever, increasing redness, sudden swelling, or worsening pain promptly. Your follow-ups are at the same University City office where you had your La Jolla consultation. Ask when each examination is needed and how to reach the team outside office hours. The office hours above are not an emergency-care schedule.
05
En bloc removal takes out the implant and capsule together; total capsulectomy removes the full capsule, sometimes in pieces. There is no evidence that the en bloc technique itself improves BII symptoms. The capsule approach depends on your anatomy and what can be done safely, and some capsules are partly attached to the chest wall or ribs. Pathology and specific BIA-ALCL testing are decided case by case. Ask which tissue would be examined and why. Routine examination of a removed capsule is not the same as the evaluation needed for suspected BIA-ALCL, which may involve sampling of fluid or tissue before surgery and can change the surgical plan. BIA-ALCL is a cancer of the immune system that can develop in the fluid or scar capsule around an implant, more often with textured implants. Persistent swelling, a new lump, or pain around an implant needs prompt evaluation. The FDA does not recommend removal of implants solely to prevent BIA-ALCL in people without symptoms. Other cancers, including squamous cell carcinoma, have also been reported in the capsule. En bloc capsulectomy information for La Jolla
Removal is performed under anesthesia and carries the risks of breast surgery: bleeding, infection, fluid collection, poor wound healing, changes in nipple or skin sensation, scarring, asymmetry, contour irregularities, blood clots, and dissatisfaction with breast shape after the implant volume is gone. Capsule removal close to the chest wall carries additional risks that your surgeon should explain. Your health history affects your risk.
Removal is usually postponed during pregnancy or breastfeeding, during significant weight change, or with active nicotine use. Seek urgent care for chest pain or shortness of breath.
Cost
Request a written quote. Ask whether capsule removal, any pathology charges, garments, and follow-up visits are included. Insurance may contribute when removal is for documented rupture, severe capsular contracture, or BIA-ALCL; removal for BII symptoms alone is often not covered. Check with your insurer.
The practice's current range for breast implant removal is about $9,000–$14,000, covering the surgeon's fee, anesthesia, and facility fees; a lift or fat grafting adds to the total. The same range applies at both consultation offices.
Recovery
Some patients return to desk work after about a week; others need longer, especially after a lift or fat grafting. If drains are used, ask how long they are likely to stay in. Exercise and lifting require individual clearance. Breast shape continues to change over several months.
If you are having implants removed because of symptoms, allow time: any change may take weeks to months, and results vary.
Arrange an adult to drive you home from the operating facility and to help during the first days. Do not drive while taking sedating medication or until your surgeon clears you. Report fever, increasing redness, sudden swelling, or worsening pain promptly.
Your follow-ups are at the same University City office where you had your La Jolla consultation. Ask when each examination is needed and how to reach the team outside office hours. The office hours above are not an emergency-care schedule.
Surgery day
Outpatient, home within a few hours. Expect tightness and soreness managed with prescribed medication. Someone drives you home and stays the first night.
Days 2 to 7
Swelling and bruising peak and start to ease. Short walks several times a day. Drains are usually removed at your first visit. Many women are back at a desk by the end of the week.
Weeks 2 to 3
Daily routines return. Driving once you are off prescription pain medication. Surgical bra continues. No lifting, pushing, or chest exercise yet.
Weeks 4 to 6
Light cardio resumes, then full activity and upper-body training once Dr. Sayed confirms healing.
Months 3 to 6
Swelling resolves, the breast softens, and any lift or fat transfer settles into its final shape. This is when you see your final result.
Your surgeon
Dr. Sayed is a recognized expert in breast implant removal, en bloc capsulectomy, and the concerns patients describe as breast implant illness.
Dr. Sayed is certified by both the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery, and he has been recertified in both after ten years. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
He earned his medical degree at the UCSF School of Medicine, completed general surgery training at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard, and returned to UCSF for his plastic surgery fellowship.
American Board of Plastic Surgery
Board certified and recertified
American Board of Surgery
Board certified and recertified
UCSF School of Medicine
MD and plastic surgery residency
Harvard, Mass General
General surgery training
Kellogg School of Management
Executive MBA, Northwestern
Alpha Omega Alpha
National medical honor society
Ask about cases similar to yours and how complications would be managed.
Read the practice biography before your La Jolla consultation
Bring your implant records, your symptom history, and your questions. New swelling, a lump, or persistent pain around an implant needs prompt evaluation rather than waiting for routine planning.
Read Google reviews for the Tim Sayed MD practice. These reviews cover the whole practice, not a separate rating for the La Jolla office.
Questions
BII is a term patients use for systemic symptoms they connect to breast implants, such as fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, and rashes. It is not a formal medical diagnosis, and research has not established that implants cause these symptoms. The symptoms still deserve evaluation.
The symptoms are real. What remains unproven is whether implants cause them. The FDA acknowledges that some patients report systemic symptoms, but the cause and individual risk are not well understood.
Commonly reported symptoms include fatigue, brain fog, joint and muscle pain, rashes, hair thinning, headaches, poor sleep, anxiety, and palpitations. Each can also have other causes, which should be checked.
There is no blood test or scan for BII. Evaluation involves your history, an examination, imaging review when useful, and discussion of other possible causes with your other physicians.
It may or may not help. Some patients report improvement after removal; others do not. Because the cause is not established, no surgeon can promise that removal will resolve your symptoms.
Symptoms are reported with saline and silicone, smooth and textured, cosmetic and reconstructive implants. No single implant type has been shown to cause BII. Textured implants carry a separate, higher association with BIA-ALCL.
Pathology and specific BIA-ALCL testing are decided case by case. Ask which tissue would be examined in your case and why. Suspected BIA-ALCL needs a specific evaluation, not routine examination alone.
Breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system that can develop in the fluid or capsule around an implant, more often with textured implants. Persistent swelling, a lump, or pain around an implant needs prompt evaluation.
Not necessarily. There is no evidence that the en bloc technique itself improves BII symptoms. The capsule approach is chosen for your anatomy and what can be done safely.
Not always. Removal alone may suit smaller implants and elastic skin. A lift may help when skin is loose or the nipple sits below the fold, and it adds permanent scars.
Some patients return to desk work after about a week; others need longer. Exercise requires individual clearance, and breast shape changes over several months.
The practice's current range for removal is about $9,000–$14,000 , with a lift or fat grafting adding to the total. Request a written quote listing what is included. Insurance coverage depends on your policy and diagnosis.
The office is in University City at 4510 Executive Drive, Suite 210, San Diego, CA 92121. Hours are Monday 9:00 AM–4:30 PM and Tuesday–Friday 8:30 AM–4:30 PM, Pacific Time; closed Saturday and Sunday. Confirm your appointment time when scheduling. Call (858) 247-2933.
Follow-ups take place at the same University City office as your consultation. Surgery is performed only in accredited operating rooms separate from both offices. Get the facility address before arranging transportation.
Bring your implant card or manufacturer information, prior operative reports, any imaging reports, and recent lab work or specialist notes. Write down your symptoms, when each one began, and whether anything makes them better or worse.
Questions worth asking: Could another condition explain these symptoms, and how should it be checked? If I remove my implants, what might change, and what might not? Is the capsule removed, and how is en bloc compared with total capsulectomy for my anatomy? Will any tissue be sent to pathology in my case, and why? What would removal cost, and what does recovery involve?
The FDA recognizes that some patients with breast implants report systemic symptoms and has added this information to implant labeling. The cause, the individual risk, and the likelihood that removal will help are not well understood. There is no blood test or scan that diagnoses BII.
That uncertainty matters for your decision. Some patients report improvement after removal, while others do not, and no surgeon can promise that removal will resolve symptoms. Removal can also address measurable problems such as rupture or capsular contracture. Keeping your implants and monitoring them is a valid choice.
You do not need to choose an approach before your consultation. The plan depends on your tissue, implant size, skin quality, and nipple position.
Breast implant removal in La Jolla · Breast lift surgery in La Jolla
Removal is performed under anesthesia and carries the risks of breast surgery: bleeding, infection, fluid collection, poor wound healing, changes in nipple or skin sensation, scarring, asymmetry, contour irregularities, blood clots, and dissatisfaction with breast shape after the implant volume is gone. Capsule removal close to the chest wall carries additional risks that your surgeon should explain. Your health history affects your risk.
Removal is usually postponed during pregnancy or breastfeeding, during significant weight change, or with active nicotine use. Seek urgent care for chest pain or shortness of breath.
Ask to see removal cases relevant to your implant size and tissue. The same practice gallery is used for both offices; these are not location-specific results. Photographs are shared with patient consent and do not guarantee your outcome.
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